Molly Welch

Mr.Smith

Junior ELA

6 November 2023

The Best TV Show

Everyone has a favorite TV show. There are a lot of different opinions about what the

best TV show of the last decade is. Many television series have been made in the last 10 years,

Including multiple from the creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. These screenwriters created

two of the most popular shows of the last decade: Breaking Bad and its prequel, Better Call Saul.

Although Breaking Bad came first and many individuals claim that it is the best show because of

how original and unique it is, Better Call Saul is the better tv show because of its

cinematography and character development.

The visuals and cinematography of Better Call Saul are inventive and set the show apart.

Cinematography is important in making a show interesting and Better Call Saul is one of the few

shows that prioritizes it. In an interview “Marshall Adams, who’s served as the show’s director

of photography since season 3, comments on the benefits of shooting on location in New

Mexico's deserts. ‘It’s hard to point the camera at something you don’t love”(Studio Binder).

Better Call Saul was filmed on location in New Mexico which meant that the show included

many scenes where actors are surrounded by visually striking, and real, views of New Mexico

wilderness. This provides the show with elements of realism and sets it apart from shows that are

reliant on CGI and green screen backgrounds. Another significant reason that the

cinematography of Better Call Saul is better than most shows is its use of camera shots. “Better
Call Saul effortlessly mixes and matches camera shots, from extreme close-ups to extreme wide

shots. … And BCS doesn’t just do it on rare occasions; it’s made a style of matching

close-ups”(Studio Binder). Better Call Saul’s filmography style makes the show more

aesthetically interesting than most.